Did anyone else think Southampton BS...

Very disappointed as cancellation of fast cat from Jersey for the next three days due to waves in Channel in excess of legal operating limit means we won't be able to visit as we planned

Wife and I were really looking forward to it ...
 
Haha love this now the London show has gone people turn on Southampton. the internet has killed off any chance of a good deal, plus the world has changed since 1970 and the EC boat show. People moan about boats but Oyster, Gunfleet, Spirit, Cornish Crabber, Rustle, Moody, Princess, Sunseeker to name a few where all there. Those are the big names in UK boat building Westerly Cobra Trapper Southerly Sadler Contesser have all gone and many more. If you don't like it don't go go to Paris but I suspect there would be a different excuse as to why that's rubbish.
 
Well I went today and had a brilliant time. Arrived at 10.30 and left at 7.00 (yes half an hour after it closed).

Walked fairly fast to the pontoons and went aboard a few yachts. The nicest was certainly the Spirit 65, but that was little out of my price, however the workmanship was a delight to see. The only boat I picked up details on was the w1Da, the fully electric racing cruiser that is trailable. I liked the Saffier, but that was more a day boat. Most of the other mass production yachts did not appeal.

Then headed for the main outside exhibitors before heading inside the tented stands. Chatted with a number of exhibitors for advice on small problems I had with their products, most were very helpful and answered them fully. Found all the suitable cookers that might replace my aging one, obtained the dimensions to check which can fit before I order one. Found a few products that I will incorporate in the future on my boat. Chatted about writing a series of articles for the PBO. Bought a few things, not a lot in value so no one would become rich off my purchases.

Visited the MDL stand with a complaint and spoke to the requisite marina's representative, he though the problems I discussed were valid and thanked me for my comments. He was going to arrange action immediately on most points but one was a problem he knew about but a solution would take sometime to complete.

Spent a while on the Westerly Owners stand chatting with a number of owners and advising on several of their problems. Been invited back on Thursday (provided they can find a free ticket) as they have asked me to join a party for members (and see some of the stands I missed).

So did I think it was worth visiting. Definitely yes. What I really think made it was chatting to other visitors, either on one of the yachts or stands, or when I sat at a table for a bite to eat. You see boating from diferent view points. The show is put on to promote boating in all its forms and I feel it did well. The number of non marine stands I felt was definitely down on previous years. So there was certainly something for everyone, but the industry generally was showing what is currently selling and they are making profits from. If you cannot afford a new yacht or motorboat, that is your problem not theirs. Just check out what type of boats the moaners have and I bet they have older smaller boats.

Yachting need not be vastly expensive with older smaller boats, but having a new 40+ft is not a dream for some.
 
Although maybe a bit smaller I enjoyed this year. Very helpful to get technical advice from Beta, Darglow, Honda and sailmakers all in one place. Definite change in attitude from the luxury end of the boatbuilders towards casual viewers. Discovery and Oyster came up to me whilst walking past and invited me onto their boats!
Fascinating to see Lively Lady and Suhaili together on the pontoons.
 
Talulah said:
If you’re planning on visiting coming Sunday you could find the pontoons closed. I’ve just checked XCWeather. The rest of the outside stands could be literally holding on to stock.
Click to expand...

The wind touched 40 knots at Sotonmet this afternoon. Were any forumites there to say whether the pontoons were closed today?
 
I got a promotional offer from one of the exhibitors. I entered it into the website and was told I'd only pay £13. Gosh! £2.50 off!

Carried on, then ... £1.99 transaction fee. Well, b+ll+cks to that. I'll pay on the door.
 
Joker said:
I got a promotional offer from one of the exhibitors. I entered it into the website and was told I'd only pay £13. Gosh! £2.50 off!

Carried on, then ... £1.99 transaction fee. Well, b+ll+cks to that. I'll pay on the door.
Click to expand...
Havent pAid for years, member of the RYA or Beneteau Owners Association got me free tickets
 
Joker said:
I got a promotional offer from one of the exhibitors. I entered it into the website and was told I'd only pay £13. Gosh! £2.50 off!

Carried on, then ... £1.99 transaction fee. Well, b+ll+cks to that. I'll pay on the door.
Click to expand...
£21 on the door (£25 at the weekend) according to the website.
 
Just back. My wife and I attended with RYA Tickets, so entrance fee was just £13. There were great bargains to be had. One company was selling off end of line Henri Lloyd waterproofs for £50, retailed at £250, for example, this was quite typical of clothing, big discounts for end of line stuff. Everything we looked at was subject to discount with further to be negotiated. I went to check prices on a new suit of sails (main and roller reefing genoa) and was gob smacked at the final discount, 40% discount against my quotes received before the boat show. I also got to talk to the autopilot vendors and managed a 20% discount as well as a great technical conversation that resulted in my old Neco motor being used (subject to test) and full refund if they can't get the interface sorted. General stuff like chandlery was not discounted much, I could not find winch handles, didn't need rope but sail ties and fender lines, whipped and finished were pennies for a bunch of 5. Fuel, meals, accommodation obviously ate into the discounts but still came out tops by far. I'll visit again for the future instrument upgrade and future re-engine. We also got Cruising Association discount on some bits and bobs. The surprise impulse buy was an evaporative air conditioning unit (12, 24 or 240V) that was blowing out impressive cool air from about 22 celsius ambient air temperature; again more discount over the show discount with CA membership.

Very pleased with my first visit to SIBS.
 
Tomaret said:
The wind touched 40 knots at Sotonmet this afternoon. Were any forumites there to say whether the pontoons were closed today?
Click to expand...
I was there. The outer pontoons were bouncing quite well with some spray flying around. The gang-planks onto some of the cats (Legend et al.) were quite chllenging for some folk but none were closed. We thoroughly enjoyed the show and I would have happily (and productively) spent a second day there. Somehow I found it better than last year...
 
Going tomorrow and looking forward to it. Looking at the forecast I’ll do the pontoons in the morning. Hoping to buy a hand held VHF so hoping there are bargains around. Came down today (it’s a long drive from Sheffield) to go to the Swanwick 2nd hand show. Very disappointing this year, hardly anything of interest. Ended up at Hamble Point and saw a very nice Najad 370. Then met a nice couple who were selling their Aphrodite 33; never seen one before but a lovely little boat.
 
Spent most of today/Thursday there, and was well pleased. I had buckets of sound advice/'consultancy' from Z Spars and Selden, West Systems and English Braids, and half a dozen other firms. i came away with solutions to several problems, including some I didn't know I had! http://www.ybw.com/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.png

The YBW.com marquee was a poor shadow of its former self.....

There was some wry realism from a couple of HM Coastguard types regarding the 'end of empire' CG66 scheme. I had the 'official position' as well as the inside story. The registration and changes to registration of devices such as EPIRBS is an OfCom responsibility, I gathered. They agreed that, by the time they'd got someone out of bed on a weekend to shuffle through the piles of unaddressed 'new registrations' to find a shore contact with info, my liferaft would have drifted ashore from somewhere in the Western Approaches, and I'd have caught a bus/taxi home.

"Buy a satphone," they agreed.

Overall, it would have been good value even if I'd had to pay for entry.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I'm visiting Southampton University for work on Thursday and if I have time afterwards hope to visit the show for a few hours before my flight home.
Click to expand...

As it turned out I was free on Wednesday afternoon, so I went then, using the ten-quid-after-4pm deal. Two hours was more than enough: I don't need anything much for the boat and was flying back north hand baggage only so I had no incentive to look at many of the selling stuff stalls. A couple of things tempted me, but both "show offers" were significantly higher than online pieces, so stuff that. I did pick up lots of solar panel brochures, in the hope that I can find a couple of tough ones to fit the rather limited spaces I had.

Walking round the pontoons was fun. There were some very nice motorboats there, though I was unpleasantly surprised to find that the Botnia Targa 27.2 I lust after was a cool quarter of a million. Otherwise the motorboats seem to divide equally into traditional looking things sold and looked at by cheps in blazers and tan trizers and the more nouveau riche tat from Princess, Fairline (still going, it seems) and various Italian marques, all sold by and to half-shaven spivs in skinny jeans. How nice of the show to hide Sunseeker's display of thrusting phallic symbolism somewhere out of the way this time.

Not many interesting sailing boats, though I liked both Tofinous. Most of the big ones seem to be motorhomes with sails. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but not my scene. It was great to visit "My Lively Lady", admire the "Bugger off, peasants" (I paraphrase) signs on "Suhaili", have a tour round the Southampton Uni research vessel and try to get any sort of response from the crew of the "Kaskelot". Perhaps they were tired.

Overall a couple of hours well spent. Without any purchases in mind I don't think I could have stretched it much more, and even with purchases in mind, what's the internet for?
 
Went today (Friday). Took the Premier coach from Swanwick Marina. If you already have a boat show ticket the price is £7 return.
The show picked up and seemed reasonably busy in numbers but I really didn’t see much activity at the tills. The loss of the second bridge makes sense all round. A few of the stalls you see year on year were no longer there. You can still buy a log cabin but not a whirlpool bath!
 
Talulah said:
I really didn’t see much activity at the tills.
Click to expand...

I spent about £70 on saturday when I visited. In the subsequent week I've spent nearly £3k with people to whom I said "I'll think about it and get back to you.." There's a few more who weren't really offering "boat show discount"s so no pressure to buy this week but will probably get round to buying over the coming 6 months. If I'm representative, it's not all about the kerching!s on the day.
 
I went today and thought it was pretty good. Getting rid of the second bridge worked well. I thought that nearly all the exhibitors from last year were there (and there was a whirlpool bath purveyor, Talulah). It got a bit breezy at one point with waves and spray breaking over the outer pontoons. Seemed to be more Mobo’s than previous years (complete with a certain style of salesperson). Spent money on a new handheld, tried on a range of LJ’s to decide which I wanted and had a few chats about various bits of kit. Drive back was long though....
 
A fascinating first visit to the SBS found it very, very quiet as trade shows go and very small! Not what I was expecting at all.

Discovered that "coastal" in insurance terms means less than 12 miles offshore unless you are on passage, looking to have my cover extended to 50 miles, as I've been a very naughty boy. Eire needs special cover.

I thanked Duncan Wells for his book "Stress Free Sailing" and discussed his choice of music for the YouTube clips that will accompany his next book. A lovely man.

Totalled up the cost of the updates I want to do on the boat (about what expected). Just need to work out the order that they need doing.

Splashed out on a new lifejacket after talking to a chap from Crewsaver for about 30 minutes, that is service.

The chap from Garmin solved the chartplotter update puzzle and its not as expensive as I thought, I'll wait until the 2019 charts are published.

All in all a great day out.
 
Sandy said:
A fascinating first visit to the SBS found it very, very quiet as trade shows go and very small! Not what I was expecting at all.

Discovered that "coastal" in insurance terms means less than 12 miles offshore unless you are on passage, looking to have my cover extended to 50 miles, as I've been a very naughty boy. Eire needs special cover.

I thanked Duncan Wells for his book "Stress Free Sailing" and discussed his choice of music for the YouTube clips that will accompany his next book. A lovely man.

Totalled up the cost of the updates I want to do on the boat (about what expected). Just need to work out the order that they need doing.

Splashed out on a new lifejacket after talking to a chap from Crewsaver for about 30 minutes, that is service.

The chap from Garmin solved the chartplotter update puzzle and its not as expensive as I thought, I'll wait until the 2019 charts are published.

All in all a great day out.
Click to expand...

you should have given us a shout, could have hooked up and scammed you a free lunch
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top